The second year of the Orlando Health Community Grant Program doubles the number of recipients.

Orlando, FL (July, 11, 2017) – Planting new seeds of health and wellness in the community, and continuing to support existing programs, Orlando Health recently awarded more than $230,000 in grants for more than 20 programs and services to improve the health of residents in Central Florida. The grants are part of the Orlando Health Community Grant Program. The health care organization held a special event on July 11, 2017 to present ceremonial checks and recognize the organizations and individuals for their commitment to ensuring health throughout the community.

In its second year, the program doubled the number of recipients since its inaugural start in 2016 from 11 to 22. The recipients represent applications from organizations in the community, and applications from Orlando Health team members who are addressing community needs. Support for team member volunteer efforts is a relatively new component to community grant programs across the country, and a unique aspect for health care organizations in the area.

"We wanted to find new ways to support community organizations and also efforts of our team members,” said Lainie Fox Ackerman, JD, director, Community Benefit. "The grant program helps Orlando Health to not only learn more about the work that others are doing in our community and connecting with them, but also the great work our team members are doing within our hospitals, that we can take to the community. We are helping to elevate their work, their passions and their impact.”

The 22 programs and services meet an array of community needs. To qualify for a grant, a program or service must meet Community Benefit criteria. Community Benefit is defined by programs or activities that provide treatment or promote health and healing as a response to identified community needs and meet at least one of four objectives:

Improve access to healthcare services

Enhance health of the community

Advance medical or healthcare knowledge

Relieve or reduce the burden of government or other community efforts

"Community organizations and our team members really brought their A game” said Fox Ackerman. "It was evident in the overwhelmingly strong applications we received. It was also evident that the word got out about the program – we had significantly more submissions this year than last year.”

Following are the organizations, programs and grant amounts:

Adult Literacy League, Adult Basic Education, $5,000.00

Orange Blossom Family Health, Pediatric Community School Nurse, $10,000.00

The Orlando Health Community Grant Program was established to invest back into the community by helping to pilot new ideas and enhance current programs.

“The program helps build our relationship with community organizations in order to make a greater impact, and serves as another way of continuing the dialogue and the important work to be done,” said Fox Ackerman.

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About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a $2.8 billion not-for-profit health care organization and a community-based network of physician practices, hospitals, and outpatient care centers throughout Central Florida. The organization includes Orlando Health Physician Group and Physician Associates, two of the largest multi-specialty practices in Central Florida; the UF Health Cancer Center – Orlando Health with locations in downtown Orlando, the Dr. Phillips community in southwest Orlando, Lake Mary, Ocoee, and Clermont; ownership in an outpatient surgery center; and eight wholly-owned or affiliated hospitals. An Orlando Health subsidiary holds a 51 percent interest inan entity operating six outpatient imaging centers.

Orlando Health is home to the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics and is a statutory teaching hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. They are: Orlando Regional Medical Center; Dr. P. Phillips Hospital; South Seminole Hospital; Health Central Hospital, the Arnold Palmer Medical Center, which consists of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies; South Lake Hospital (50 percent affiliation); and St. Cloud Regional Medical Center (20 percent affiliation). Areas of clinical excellence are heart and vascular, cancer care, neurosciences, surgery, pediatric specialties, neonatology, and women’s health.

More than 2,000 physicians have privileges at Orlando Health, which is also one of the area’s largest employers with more than 18,000 employees who support our philosophy of providing high quality care and service that revolves around patients’ needs. We prove this everyday with over 100,000 inpatient admissions and nearly 900,000 outpatient visits each year. In all, Orlando Health serves 1.8 million Central Florida residents and more than 4,500 international patients annually. Additionally, Orlando Health provides more than $204 million in support of community health needs. More information can be found at www.orlandohealth.com.

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